East Notes: Nationals, Ciolek, Orioles, Phillies, Rays
The Nationals have hired Brad Ciolek as their new senior director of amateur scouting, as initially reported by The Athletic’s Keith Law (X link). Andrew Golden of the Washington Post was the first to report Ciolek’s specific new title, and he’ll work under another new hire in scouting director Danny Haas. Both Hass and Ciolek worked together in the Orioles‘ front office from 2012-19, with Ciolek only just leaving Baltimore after acting as the director of draft operations.
The Talk Nats blog also reported that amateur scout Reed Dunn is close to joining the organization, and Ciolek and Dunn are just two of several new hires within a significantly reshaped player development system. President of baseball operations Mike Rizzo has been looking to upgrade how the Nationals identify and develop young talent, as the latest step in the team’s rebuilding process. D.C. made some progress with the big league roster in 2023, but with contention still probably at least one more years away, figuring out how to add more quality prospects to the pipeline is of major importance. Ciolek has plenty of experience on this front, as he contributed to the Orioles’ own rebuild, and the deep core of prospects that now has the O’s in great shape to contend for the next decade.
More from around the NL and AL East divisions…
- Advancing to the NLDS means that the Phillies will now need a fourth starter, and Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sanchez are set to throw simulated games on Sunday to ramp up their arms for the possible assignment, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb writes. Neither pitcher saw any action in the first two playoff rounds, and neither has pitched since September 30, hence the need for some extra warm-up. Gelb figures Walker might get the official start in Game 4 since Walker has rarely ever worked as a reliever during his career, though both Walker and Sanchez could get some action during the game, perhaps in a piggyback capacity. The Phillies haven’t yet announced their starters for the first three games, though it is expected to be Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez, probably in that order.
- The Rays announced a series of internal promotions and role changes within their organization on Friday. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times has the full list, led by Blake Butera becoming the new senior director of player development. Just 31 years old, Butera will now oversee the Rays’ vaunted player development system just seven years after he was in the farm system himself as a 35th-round pick for Tampa Bay in the 2015 draft. After ending his playing career, Butera spent five years in the minors as a coach and manager in the Rays’ system, then worked as an assistant field coordinator in 2023.
Phillies Weighing Bullpen Role For Michael Lorenzen
The Phillies could deploy Michael Lorenzen out of the bullpen down the stretch, writes Matt Gelb of the Athletic. Manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday that the Phils had yet to make a final decision but suggested they were likely to move back to a five-man rotation after today’s off day.
Philadelphia’s front four is locked in. They’ll go with Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker and Zack Wheeler over their next few appearances. If they go back to a five-man staff, they’ll need to decide between Cristopher Sánchez or Lorenzen for next Tuesday’s start in Atlanta.
Sánchez has been the more effective for the Phils. The 26-year-old southpaw owns a 3.40 ERA over 87 1/3 innings on the season. After striking out 10 Braves hitters in 7 1/3 frames last night, he has a quality 23.6% strikeout percentage to go with a huge 56.4% grounder rate. He has demonstrated excellent control, cutting his walk rate below the 4% mark.
Lorenzen hasn’t found the same level of success overall in Philadelphia. He started his tenure brilliantly, rattling off eight innings of two-run ball during his team debut in Miami and no-hitting the Nationals at home in his second start. Things have spiraled in the few weeks since that historic outing. Lorenzen has allowed four-plus runs in each of his last five appearances, topping out at six innings. Since the no-hitter, he has a 7.96 ERA with a minuscule 11% strikeout rate.
The 31-year-old’s overall production is still solid. Including his strong first half with the Tigers, he owned a 3.23 ERA across 122 2/3 innings a month ago. Even after the rough few weeks, he’s allowing 4.06 earned runs per nine altogether. Yet he’s also in uncharted territory from a workload perspective, with his 148 2/3 frames easily topping his previous career high of 113 1/3 innings as a rookie back in 2015.
Lorenzen had worked almost exclusively out of relief for the Reds from his second season onward. Upon reaching free agency in the 2021-22 offseason, he prioritized a rotation spot and signed a one-year pact with the Angels. He logged 97 2/3 innings a season ago, with injuries capping him at 18 starts. That was still a heavier load than he’d shouldered during his time in the bullpen but fell shy of a typical starter’s capacity.
The righty hasn’t shown obvious signs of physical decline. His velocity this month is in line with his early-season level. The results have fallen off sharply, though, perhaps reflecting a more subtle dip in Lorenzen’s execution.
Gelb suggests the Phils have given some thought to deploying Sánchez and Lorenzen as a tandem duo in the fifth starter’s spot. That’d allow them to keep an eye on the workload for each, though it’s arguable they’d be better served acting more definitively. Both pitchers have handled themselves well when turning a lineup over, so there’s not a pressing need to mitigate either’s ‘times through the order’ splits. They each have experience working as relievers, with Lorenzen particularly familiar with a high-leverage short relief role from his time in Cincinnati.
The Phils occupy the top Wild Card spot in the National League and are in strong position to secure a playoff spot. Both Sánchez and Lorenzen would likely play relief roles in October, at least in the opening three-game Wild Card series. They’ll conclude the regular season with 16 games in 17 days, starting tomorrow.
Lorenzen is headed back to free agency in the offseason. Even if he’s kicked to the bullpen for the last couple weeks, he’s in position for a much stronger pact than the $8.5MM guarantee he received from Detroit a year ago. He’s going into his age-32 campaign and could find three- or four-year offers this time around.
Dombrowski: Phillies No Longer Counting On Andrew Painter As 2023 Rotation Depth
Phillies top pitching prospect Andrew Painter has had an injury-plagued 2023 season. A potential season-opening rotation member, the highly-touted righty sprained the UCL in his throwing elbow in Spring Training. His rehab was set back a couple weeks ago when he experienced renewed discomfort and was shut back down.
Philadelphia expressed general relief about the latest testing on Painter’s elbow, saying his UCL was healing (via Matt Gelb of the Athletic). The soreness led them to back down his throwing program out of an abundance of caution though. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski suggested this afternoon they’re no longer viewing Painter as a key factor for the 2023 MLB staff.
“We’re not counting on him as depth at this time,” Dombrowski told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “Where he is at this point, he has tenderness [in the elbow]. He’s still dealing with that. I mean, you can just do the math. It just doesn’t make sense. I think basically as of a couple weeks ago when he had that [setback], in my own mind I thought that’s it for this year.”
While the Phils haven’t officially announced Painter as being done for the season, it looks unlikely he’ll make his MLB debut before 2024. Barring further setbacks, the 20-year-old still figures to enter next year as one of the sport’s top pitching prospects and a potential factor for the MLB rotation.
Relatedly, Dombrowski told Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post on their podcast that Philadelphia was open to adding rotation depth before the August 1 deadline. That’s no surprise; as Dombrowski pointed out, the vast majority of the league could stand to secure more pitching depth.
Philadelphia has a starting five of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sánchez. Sánchez was a late entrant in that mix but has pitched well through six starts. In 30 1/3 innings, the 26-year-old southpaw owns a 3.26 ERA built on an excellent 54.1% grounder rate.
Dombrowski praised Sánchez’s performance and implied the Phils were happy with their current top five starters. However, he indicated they could look to fortify the depth in case anyone in their current group suffers an injury. Bailey Falter stands as the #6 starter. He has a 4.38 ERA over nine Triple-A starts after surrendering a 5.13 mark over 40 1/3 big league innings early in the season.
Phillies Place Seranthony Dominguez On 15-Day IL
The Phillies announced that left-hander Cristopher Sanchez and right-hander Yunior Marte have been called up from Triple-A. In corresponding moves, right-hander Luis Ortiz was optioned to Triple-A, while reliever Seranthony Dominguez was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique strain. Dominguez’s placement is retroactive to June 16.
The severity of Dominguez’s strain isn’t yet known, and both the Phillies and the right-hander can only hope that it isn’t the type of lingering oblique problem that can sideline a player for months. Dominguez is unfortunately no stranger to long-term injuries, though an oblique strain is at least far less of a concern than the Tommy John surgery that cost him almost all of the 2020-21 seasons.
After posting a 3.00 ERA over 51 regular-season innings and then an outstanding 1.69 ERA over 10 2/3 postseason frames in 2022, Dominguez hasn’t been quite as effective this year. The righty has a 4.33 ERA in 27 innings out of the Philly bullpen, with a 22.2% strikeout rate that is well below his 29.9% average from his first four MLB seasons. On the plus side, Dominguez’s 8.7% walk rate is a career low (albeit still under the league average) and he does have a .350 BABIP. It is also worth noting that Dominguez’s numbers look a lot better when you subtract his first appearance of the season, a disastrous outing against the Rangers that saw Dominguez allow four earned runs without recording a single out.
Sanchez will start today’s game against the A’s, marking the left-hander’s second start and appearance of the 2023 season. A triceps injury during Spring Training sent Sanchez to the injured list at the start of the season, and might have cost him an opportunity to win a job in Philadelphia’s rotation. That door is still open for Sanchez, as the Phillies are still looking for any kind of stability with their fifth starter role.
Phillies Notes: Painter, Sanchez, Hoskins
The Phillies entered the season shorthanded in the rotation. That’s in large part because of an injury to Andrew Painter, a top pitching prospect who entered camp in a battle for the final starting spot. That was put on hold when Painter was diagnosed with a sprain of the UCL in his throwing elbow in mid-March.
Philadelphia predictably shut the highly-touted righty down. He spent around five weeks on a no-throw program before playing catch for the first time today, tweets Matt Gelb of the Athletic. It’s the first step in Painter’s throwing program, which the Phils will assuredly take with plenty of caution. There’s still not much clarity on the 20-year-old’s overall recovery timetable but it’s notable that he’s again begun throwing.
Painter is on the minor league injured list and not yet on the 40-man roster. He still hasn’t thrown a pitch at Triple-A, with five Double-A starts late in the 2022 season representing his only regular season action in the upper minors. While he was in consideration for an MLB job out of camp, he’ll almost certainly spend some time in the minors to build his pitch count once he’s ready for game action down the line.
Losing Painter all but assured Bailey Falter of a rotation spot. The Phils then lost Ranger Suárez to the IL, pushing Matt Strahm from the bullpen into the rotation. Southpaw Cristopher Sánchez might have gotten the nod over Strahm had he not also gotten hurt in Spring Training. Sánchez has been battling triceps soreness and opened the year on the IL. His injury doesn’t seem especially serious, as he’s been throwing bullpen sessions in recent days.
Sánchez will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley tomorrow for a rehab assignment, according to the MLB.com injury tracker. He’s expected to log three innings for the IronPigs. Sánchez working in a multi-inning capacity will give the Phils some needed depth behind their current starting five of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Falter and Strahm.
Of course, the spring injuries weren’t limited to the pitching staff. The toughest blow the Phils were dealt this spring came when they lost slugger Rhys Hoskins to an ACL tear in his left knee. That seems likely to cost him the entire 2023 season but the Phillies have refrained from officially declaring him out for the year.
Hoskins met with reporters today, the first time he’d addressed the media since the injury. The 30-year-old first baseman expressed continued hope he could play a part in a potential postseason run (link via Dan Gelston of the Associated Press). “I’m going to do everything in my power to give myself an opportunity that if and when we are playing in late October, I have a chance to contribute to that.”
The injury opened a season-opening path to playing time at first base for Darick Hall. That audition proved unfortunately brief, as Hall suffered a thumb injury last week and will soon undergo surgery. The Phils now have a loose platoon arrangement between Kody Clemens and Alec Bohm (with Edmundo Sosa taking third base when Bohm slides across the diamond) at the position.
Phillies Dealing With Injuries To Pitching And Catching Depth
The Phillies announced a batch of injuries to reporters, including Matt Gelb of The Athletic (Twitter links). Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez and right-hander Nick Nelson have both been shut down, due to triceps soreness and a moderate hamstring injury, respectively. Catcher Garrett Stubbs is headed for an MRI on his sore right knee while fellow backstop Rafael Marchán hasn’t played in eight days and can’t currently hit due to a bruised right hamate.
Sánchez, 26, has made just 22 major league appearances thus far in his career, but he notched a strong 3.14 ERA in Triple-A last year. He struck out 24.4% of batters faced at that level, walked just 8.4% and got grounders at a very strong 62% clip.
As of a few weeks ago, he wasn’t expected to be a key piece of the club’s rotation, but some recent developments have thinned out the club’s depth in that department. Andrew Painter has been shut down with a UCL sprain while Ranger Suárez has been dealing with some forearm tightness. Painter will be shut down for four weeks, taking him out of consideration for the Opening Day rotation. Suárez, meanwhile, has been throwing but it’s still unclear if he’ll be ready for the start of the season. Gelb also relays that the club is encouraged by his progress but his overall timelines are still murky.
The club should still have a strong front of their rotation, with Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Taijuan Walker taking three spots. Bailey Falter previously seemed like he would have to compete with Painter for a spot but that’s no longer the case, likely pushing him into the mix. The fifth spot could go to Suárez if he’s healthy enough to take it. If not, Sánchez would have been in the mix to jump in there but that’s probably not on the table any longer. The club hasn’t provided a timeline on his expected absence but the fact that he has been shut down from throwing with just two weeks until Opening Day isn’t encouraging.
If none of Painter, Suárez or Sánchez are available, the Phils have Michael Plassmeyer and James McArthur on their 40-man roster. Arthur has yet to reach Triple-A and only made 13 Double-A starts last year due to injury. Plassmeyer has two big league appearances and tossed 128 1/3 Triple-A innings last year with a 4.21 ERA.
In the case of Nelson, he was going to be in the mix for a job in the club’s bullpen. He tossed 68 2/3 innings for the club last year with a 4.85 ERA, 22.5% strikeout rate, 11.8% walk rate and 39.8% ground ball rate. It doesn’t seem as though his injury is too severe, though he’s been shut down for the moment. As a reliever, he’ll have an easier time getting back into game shape than a starter like Sánchez.
In terms of the catching situation, those two ailments are noteworthy for the club since they have just three backstops on their 40-man roster. J.T. Realmuto has a lock on the starting job but the Phils will need a backup. Stubbs and Marchan would be the likely candidates for such a job, since they are the other two on the roster, but they are both question marks now due to these setbacks.
Stubbs, 30 in May, was acquired from the Astros prior to the 2022 campaign and ended up having a nice season as Realmuto’s backup. He got into 50 games and hit .264/.350/.462 for a wRC+ of 128. He was recently participating in the World Baseball Classic for Team Israel but departed when this knee issue popped up. Marchan, 24, only has 23 games of big league experience and was likely ticketed for more time in the minors behind Realmuto and Stubbs.
At this point, the path forward for both players is still unclear but there are concerns in both cases. Stubbs’ injury is significant enough to require an MRI while Marchan has already been out of action for over a week. Even if he suddenly heals up, he’ll need some time to get back into game shape. If the Phils eventually need someone else to step up and take on the backup job, they have a few catchers in camp as non-roster invitees, including Aramis Garcia and John Hicks.
The Phillies’ Fifth Starter Possibilities
The Phillies had a bit of shuffling in the middle of their rotation this offseason. Each of Zach Eflin, Noah Syndergaard and Kyle Gibson went elsewhere in free agency. Philadelphia partially backfilled the starting staff by bringing Taijuan Walker aboard, but they focused the rest of their offseason attention on installing Trea Turner atop the lineup and stockpiling bullpen help.
Philadelphia has one of baseball’s best one-two punch atop the rotation in Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. Walker steps into the third or fourth role, pairing with southpaw Ranger Suárez in the middle. Losing Eflin and Gibson thins out the depth at the back end, leaving the Phils to rely on someone without much starting experience at the big league level in the #5 role.
Turning to those possibilities:
Some MLB Rotation Work
Falter, a 25-year-old lefty, made 16 starts out of 20 outings for the Phils last year. That came on the heels of a rookie campaign in which he was used almost exclusively out of the bullpen and posted a 5.61 ERA. Falter had a better run prevention mark last season, allowing just 3.86 earned runs per nine innings. Falter struck out a roughly average 21.2% of opponents and kept his walks to a sparkling 4.9% clip last season. His ground-ball percentage dropped from 36.1% as a rookie to 31.7%, though, and he surrendered home runs at a higher than average rate (1.71 per nine innings).
The former fifth-round pick has shown excellent control throughout his time in the minor leagues. He missed bats on a decent 11% of his MLB offerings last season. His strikeout and walk profile fits fine at the back of a contending rotation, though his fly-ball oriented approach could give him trouble in a very hitter-friendly home park. Falter doesn’t throw hard and gives up a fair amount of hard contact. That’s been a particular issue with right-handed hitters, who have a .266/.313/.486 line against him in his MLB career.
Sánchez, 26, only has four big league starts to his name. He’s come out of the bullpen 18 times at the MLB level and has logged 52 2/3 innings over the last two seasons. He owns a 5.47 ERA with worse than average strikeout and walk marks (20.3% and 10.2%, respectively). On the plus side, he’s racked up grounders on a massive 56.4% of batted balls.
The 6’1″ hurler has spent the bulk of the last two years starting games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He struggled with walks en route to a 4.68 ERA there in 2021 but had a much more productive showing last season. Over 57 1/3 innings spanning 15 appearances, the Dominican-born southpaw posted a 3.14 ERA with a 24.4% strikeout percentage, 8.4% walk rate and eye-opening 62% grounder percentage. While Sánchez hasn’t had much MLB success to date, he’s in the back of the rotation and/or long relief mix thanks to his quality Triple-A showing.
Top Prospects
Arguably the top pitching prospect in the game, Painter ranks among the sport’s top 15 minor league talents at Baseball America, ESPN and The Athletic. Armed with an upper-90s fastball, the 6’7″ righty also draws praise from evaluators for a pair of impressive breaking pitches in his slider and curveball. His changeup is viewed as a little behind the rest of his power arsenal but a promising fourth pitch in its own right.
The 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of a Florida high school, he traversed three minor league levels last season. In a year split between Low-A, High-A and Double-A, he threw 103 2/3 innings of 1.56 ERA ball, striking out a laughable 38.7% of opponents with just a 6.2% walk rate.
It’s hard to draw up a better first full pro season. Still, Painter won’t turn 20 until April, and he has just five late-season starts in Double-A and zero experience at the top minor league level. Carrying him on the MLB roster from day one would be a risk, though president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has said on a few occasions this offseason that it’s not out of the question (link via Andy Jasner of Sports Illustrated).
Abel was Philadelphia’s first-round selection the year before Painter. Also a high school righty, he’s likewise developed into one of the sport’s more talented young arms. Abel split last season between High-A and Double-A, also making just five starts at the latter level. He combined for a 3.90 ERA across 108 1/3 frames with a 27.6% strikeout rate but a 10.6% walk percentage. He’s a consensus top-100 talent but below Painter in the prospect hierarchy, with a little less velocity and a greater need to refine his control. Abel’s a very good prospect and could potentially put himself in the MLB mix midseason, but right now it doesn’t seem like he’ll get immediate consideration for an Opening Day rotation role. Of course, a standout spring performance could potentially change that.
McGarry, a Virginia product, was a fifth-round draftee in 2021. As a college player, he’s older than Painter and Abel. He spent most of the 2022 season as a starter at High-A and Double-A as well but got eight late-season relief outings at Lehigh Valley. McGarry combined for 87 1/3 innings of 3.71 ERA ball in his first full professional season. He punched out an enormous 35.7% of opponents but walked batters at a 14.6% clip. McGarry has had high-octane stuff but inconsistent control dating back to his time in college. He’s a well-regarded prospect in his own right and looks like a great find for the Phils in the fifth round, though he’d need a dramatic improvement in his strike-throwing to factor into the MLB rotation this year. A midseason bullpen debut might be more likely.
Minor League Depth
Acquired in a minor league trade that sent catcher Austin Wynns to the Giants last summer, Plassmeyer cracked the 40-man roster in August. He’d been hit hard in Triple-A with San Francisco but seemed to turn the corner in the Philadelphia organization. Over 16 starts for Lehigh Valley, the former fourth-round draftee posted a 2.41 ERA across 82 innings. He had some strand rate and BABIP help but also struck out 24.8% of opponents against a 7% walk rate. That’s enough to get Plassmeyer on the MLB radar, but he’d struggled significantly with walks and home runs on the road to a 7.38 ERA over 11 appearances with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate prior to the trade.
McArthur made 13 starts for Double-A Reading last season before suffering a stress reaction in his throwing elbow. He struck out a quarter of opponents at that level but issued walks at a higher than average 10% clip. Over 57 innings, he managed a 5.05 ERA in a hitter-friendly home environment. McArthur’s 26 and has still yet to reach Triple-A. That he’s still holding a 40-man roster spot suggests the Phils still like his upside, though he’d presumably need to earn an MLB look with a strong showing in Lehigh Valley and might fit better in the bullpen regardless.
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The Phillies figure to bring a few more arms to camp as non-roster Spring Training invitees. Philadelphia added Kyle Hart on a minor league deal this afternoon, while Hans Crouse remains in the organization after clearing outright waivers last November. It’s possible the front office looks for another starter with some MLB experience who’s willing to accept an NRI.
Unless the Phils surprisingly add Michael Wacha or pivot to the trade market, however, it’s unlikely anyone they bring in at this point would get an immediate MLB rotation job. The organization looks prepared to put a lot of faith in their highly-touted prospects, especially Painter. Whether that’ll be the case from day one is to be determined, with Falter and Sánchez in position to vie for key roles if the Phils determine more minor league time is necessary for their vaunted young arms.
Phillies Reinstate Connor Brogdon, JoJo Romero; Will Toffey Outrighted
The Phillies announced Friday that they’ve reinstated righty Connor Brogdon from the Covid-related injured list and lefty JoJo Romero from the 60-day injured list. That necessitated a pair of 40-man moves. Infielder Will Toffey outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after clearing waivers, while righty Hans Crouse was recalled from Lehigh Valley and immediately placed on the Major League 60-day injured list. Lefty Cristopher Sanchez was optioned to Lehigh Valley to create additional space on the active roster.
Brogdon, 27, has been on the Covid list since late June but been one of the team’s better relievers when on the field. Through 17 2/3 innings this season, he’s notched a tidy 2.04 ERA with a sizable 28.8% strikeout rate against a much better-than-average 6.8% walk rate. Since making his debut with the Phils back in 2020, he’s totaled 86 1/3 frames with a 3.22 ERA, an average fastball of 95.9 mph and above-average strikeout and walk rates.
Romero, meanwhile, has yet to pitch in the Majors this season due to an elbow injury. The 25-year-old hasn’t had much MLB success to this point (7.32 ERA in 2020-21), but he only has 19 2/3 innings under his belt in the big leagues. Like Brogdon, Romero averages better than 95 mph with his heater. He just wrapped up a minor league rehab assignment that saw him post a 1.54 ERA and 15-to-2 K/BB ratio through 11 2/3 innings across four minor league levels, topping out with 3 2/3 scoreless frames in Triple-A.
Losing his spot on the 40-man roster is the 27-year-old Toffey, who didn’t appear in a game before being passed through waivers and sent back down. The journeyman infielder would’ve been making his MLB debut had he gotten into a game. A 2017 fourth-round pick by the A’s, Toffey is already in his fourth organization and has batted .266/.385/.438 in 192 plate appearances while playing primarily third base so far in Triple-A this season.
As for Crouse, he’s been on the minor league injured list since April due to tendinitis in his right biceps. Today’s move is quite beneficial for him, as he’ll now continue rehabbing that injury while being paid at the prorated Major League minimum and acquire Major League service time along the way. As Matt Gelb of The Athletic rightly points out, the Phillies have also done this with lefty Damon Jones and right-hander James McArthur. Most clubs shy away from going this route, but the Phils have opted to give service time and big league pay to a trio of pitchers rather than subtract elsewhere on the roster as the need for space arises.
Roman Quinn Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Quinn cleared DFA waivers, and the Phillies announced that Quinn has elected to become a free agent rather accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.
JUNE 1: The Phillies announced a series of roster moves Wednesday, placing second baseman Jean Segura on the 10-day injured list due to a fractured right index finger, recalling lefty Cristopher Sanchez and infielder Nick Maton from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and designating outfielder Roman Quinn for assignment. The team announced after last night’s game that Segura had fractured his finger.
Quinn, 29, scored the walk-off run from second base on a cringeworthy Dodgers error earlier this season, but his blistering speed hasn’t been enough to offset his general lack of production at the dish. In 40 plate appearances, he’s hitting just .162/.225/.289 with 15 punchouts (37.5%). He’s had similar struggles dating back to the 2019 season, batting a combined .200/.278/.315 through 340 plate appearances with the Phillies, who’ll now have a week to trade the former second-rounder, pass him through outright waivers or release him.
The loss of Segura is a tough one for a Phillies club that is floundering through another disappointing season. The 32-year-old veteran has been solid at the plate, hitting .275/.324/.407 with six home runs and eight stolen bases, and he’s been one of the team’s only average-or-better defenders (by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average).
In Segura’s absence, the Phils can turn to Maton or utilityman Johan Camargo, with struggling prospect Bryson Stott taking increased reps at shortstop. Maton had a hot start in his MLB debut last year but saw his bat wilt en route to a .256/.323/.385 output over 131 big league plate appearances. He’s hitting .241/.360/.462 so far in Triple-A this year. Camargo similarly had a strong start in 2022 but has faded of late; he’s now hitting .248/.318/.350 on the season.
Phillies Place Zach Eflin, Zack Wheeler On Covid List
10:00am: Phillies manager Joe Girardi has told reporters, including Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, that Zack Wheeler is also going on the Covid list. The club will now be doubly challenged to get through their next stretch of games with their rotation down two key members. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com adds that Connor Brogdon will be taking Wheeler’s spot on the roster.
9:00 am: The Phillies have announced that right-hander Zach Eflin has been placed on the Covid-related injured list. Fellow righty Francisco Morales has been recalled to take his place on the roster. Additionally, with the club playing a doubleheader today, left-hander Cristopher Sanchez will be up with the club as the team’s 27th man.
Players can be placed on the Covid list if they test positive, are exhibiting symptoms or due to contact tracing measures. The club hasn’t provided further information about which of these applies to Eflin. Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician). Players who are experiencing symptoms but do not test positive can return in shorter order if their symptoms abate.
The Phillies were rained out both yesterday and Friday, meaning their pitching staff should be fairly rested, but also that they are playing a doubleheader today. They will then be traveling out west to play three games against the Mariners and four against the Dodgers, before their next off-day on May 16th. As long as Eflin is out of action, the rotation will be down to the foursome of Aaron Nola, Kyle Gibson, Ranger Suarez and Zack Wheeler. Sanchez and Morales both have started in the minors but have been working out of their bullpen so far this year.
Gibson should be able to handle one game today, as he last started April 30. Eflin would have been in line to start the other game but will need to be replaced. Suarez last pitched on May 3, meaning he could theoretically slot in and take another game on regular rest, although the club hasn’t yet another their plans for today. In that scenario, both Gibson and Suarez would be lined up to pitch again on regular rest on Friday. Wheeler and Nola can then take the ball on Monday and Tuesday, but then the club would need a plan for both Wednesday and Thursday. Another option would be to have a bullpen day in the second game of the doubleheader today, saving Suarez for Monday and bumping Wheeler and Nola down the line. Regardless of how it plays out, the club will need to strategically maneuver through the week, unless Eflin is able to return quickly.